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Contacts

92 Bowery St., NY 10013

thepascal@mail.com

+1 800 123 456 789

Oasis Association Our WishList
OASISWISHLIST

Our Wishlist

Our shops are the heartbeat of our income and without stock we simply cannot support our beneficiaries.

We gratefully accept donated goods to be sold in our Oasis shops or online, especially:

  • household goods
  • clothes, hats and caps, shoes and handbags
  • books
  • bric-a-brac
  • backpacks, tog bags and suitcases
  • dishes and glassware
  • collectibles
  • jewellery
  • furniture
  • working electronics and electrical appliances
  • toys and games
  • cds, dvds and LPs
  • camping, sports, gardening and outdoor equipment
  • art
Oasis Association Your Donation Matters
CHARITYDONATIONOASISWISHLIST

Ways to support Oasis

Members of the public who support our recycling projects, bakeries and shops are the lifeblood of our sustainability. Monetary donations come from individuals, small and large businesses, funders, trust funds and foundations, while many in the corporate world assist us with donated or discounted services and products.

We are deeply grateful to you all.

1. Make a monetary donation to Oasis

All of our services and programmes are funded by donations from generous individuals, companies and trusts as well as by proceeds from our shops, bakery, recycling, and contract work projects.

There are numerous ways to donate to help support Oasis and our beneficiaries:
• Once-off Donation:

Simply click the DONATE button on any page of the website. You will be directed to the Payfast website to make a once-off donation. Please remember to provide your contact details.

• Once-off Donation via SnapScan

Please remember to provide your contact details.

Donate via EFT:

Make a direct deposit into our bank account:

Oasis Association
FNB Vineyard Road, Claremont
Branch no 204209
Current account number 59371797078
Swift code FIRNZAJJ

Please email us confirmation of your deposit and contact details to the emails below so that we can thank you and send your receipt!
info@oasis.org.za and accounts2@oasis.org.za

Monthly Contribution

Setting up a monthly debit order or recurring credit card payment will assist us tremendously in planning and budgeting for the sustained care of our beneficiaries with intellectual disabilities.

2.  Gift a donation 

Want to make a donation on behalf of a friend or family member for a special occasion? Contact us to find out more.

info@oasis.org.za and accounts2@oasis.org.za

3. MySchool/MyVillage card

Select Oasis as your beneficiary and we will benefit each time you swipe your card at any Pick n Pay or Woolworths till – it’s that simple! Every little bit helps!

4. Donate used goods or books

Our charity shops and bookshops are a vital source of funding. We sell anything from furniture, art household goods, quality used clothing, bric-a-brac, toys, and books. We welcome donations of any of these items that are in a sellable condition.

Please drop off at Oasis recycling (corner Imam Haron and Lee Road Claremont).
Opening hours: Mondays – Fridays 8:30am to 4:00pm and Saturdays 8:30am to 1:00pm.

5. Collect the small change

A collection tin at your place of work or club premises can add up to make a big difference to those in need. Please drop off your collection at Oasis Association on the corner of Imam Haron and Lee Road Claremont.

6. Make a bequest

Consider leaving a gift to Oasis in your will. Contact us for more information.

info@oasis.org.za

7. Support our campaigns

Food Parcel Appeal:

Each year from October to December we run our Food parcel appeal where we aim to gift our beneficiaries with the gift of food, nourishment, and care. One parcel costs approximately R600, and the aim, with your help, is to fill as many parcels as possible between now and Christmas closure. You don’t need to contribute an entire parcel, any amount or item is greatly appreciated.

Our Banking Details

Oasis Association,
First National Bank
Account number 59371797078
Claremont Branch Code 204209
Swiftcode FIRNZAJJ
VAT: 4230102206

Contribute via SnapScan

Name of company: Oasis Association  Postal address: Private Bag X23, Claremont 7735  Physical Address: 33 Lee Road, Claremont  Telephone: 021 671 2698  Contact: Gail Bester, Executive Director

NPO  002 937    |     PBO   930006609

Other Centres and services at Lee Road, Claremont, Pokkiedoring Road, Delft, 16th Street, Elsies River, Chukker Road, Kenwyn, Christians Street, Ravensmead, Sakabula Road, Ruyterwacht

Did you know? Donations to Oasis are deductible tax expenses in terms of Section 18A of the Income Tax Act.
INCOME TAX: Oasis Association is exempt from income tax in terms of Section 10(1) (f) of the Income Tax Act.
DONATIONS TAX: Oasis is exempt from tax in terms of Section 56(1) (i & j) of Act 58 of 1962.

8. Drop off stock for our shops

Our shops are the heartbeat of our income and without stock we simply cannot support our beneficiaries.

We gratefully accept donated goods to be sold in our Oasis shops or online, especially:

  • household goods
  • clothes, hats and caps, shoes and handbags
  • books
  • bric-a-brac
  • backpacks, tog bags and suitcases
  • dishes and glassware
  • collectibles
  • jewellery
  • furniture
  • working electronics and electrical appliances
  • toys and games
  • cds, dvds and LPs
  • camping, sports, gardening and outdoor equipment
  • art

9. Moving house?

Scaling down? Emigrating? Moving on?

Our collection service will gladly collect any larger item of furniture in good repair, free of charge, including awkward pieces of furniture or garden items. For smaller items, please drop off your pre-loved, unwanted goods at Oasis in Claremont, on the corner of Lee and Imam Haron road.

Decluttering is the new shopping!

Donating items that you no longer want, or need is a win-win for all!  For you, it means being able to declutter and get more organised, especially before a potential house move.  It is also intrinsically rewarding.  For us, it assists in sustaining our meaningful initiatives and allows us to grow to further support people with intellectual disabilities.

Contact us Email Beraldine at recycling@oasis.org.za

Find OUR DROP OFF at Corner of Lee and Imam Haron Road, Claremont.
Trading hours: Monday – Friday 8:30am – 4:00pm; Saturdays 8:30am – 1pm

10. Become a corporate sponsor

While we strive to be as self-sustaining as possible, with a high percentage of our annual income raised through our income generating projects, we are extremely grateful for the support and partnerships that assist us in expanding our impact and reach.  It enables us to continue doing what we do (and love!)

There are various ways a company can work with us:

  • Contract us to collect your recycling
  • Contract our Outsourced Business Services to assist with business requirements for example packaging, labelling, assembling etc.
  • Order delicious baked goods and sandwiches from our bakery for your meetings and events
  • Sponsor individual beneficiaries to support their wellbeing
  • Sponsor the residential costs for ten residents per year
  • Sponsor a vehicle, or the running costs thereof 
For more information please email us info@oasis.org.za

We are proud to be associated with some of the most established and largest brands and companies in South Africa. We are also associated with numerous smaller companies.  These organisations recognise the crucial work we do in making the lives of the intellectually disabled happier, healthier, and more fulfilling.

Any questions? Contact us here.

Oasis Association Recycling Etiquette (1)
OASISRECYCLING

Oasis Recycling etiquette

Our Claremont recycling services are open 
Monday to Friday, 8.30am – 3:30pm and Saturday, 8.30am – 1pm.

 

Here are some friendly reminders regarding recycling etiquette at Oasis:
  • Please remember to package and drop off your waste in one container.
  • Kindly pre-rinse all food containers such as cans, glass bottles etc. before delivery.
  • Kindly refrain from leaving your recycling at Oasis, should we be closed.
  • Please take careful note of items we cannot accept or recycle.

Our recycling services are limited which means we are not able to accept ALL recycling. We can only take glass, aluminium tins, all paper, cardboard, magazines and books. 

 

We can accept:

  • All paper, including newspapers, magazines, pamphlets, junk mail, circulars, office scrap, envelopes and books. If the latter is in a good condition, please consider donating it to the bookstore.
  • Brown/colour cardboard and cereal boxes
  • All glass bottles and jars.
  • Food cans (please make sure that cans have been washed)
  • All cooldrink cans. (Aluminium only)

We cannot accept:

  • No plastic, at all, of any sort. So, no clingwrap, no florist wrap or cellophane. No margarine tubs. None of those thin plastic packets, used for bread, milk or veggies. And no plastic or cellophane food trays, at all, whether used for meat, muffins, fruit or biscuits. No plastic laminated items.
  • No lever arch files
  • No egg boxes
  • No wax-lined boxes. Including banana boxes, milk cartons, juice cartons or yoghurt boxes.
  • No styrofoam products.
  • No foil items.
  • No broken glass
  • No garden refuse, LED Batteries, medicine or light bulbs
  • Disposable nappies, food scraps, PVC like JIVE cooldrink bottles, wet waste, chemical waste or medical waste.


Please pay particular attention to this list. 

We do apologise for the inconvenience this may cause. We understand these restraints are frustrating, however COVID-19 has made the recycling of the above-listed items impractical for the time being and we simply do not have the manpower to render a full service. We will keep you up-to-date, and advise the moment these restraints are removed. Thank you for your understanding and ongoing support. 

 

Need to get in touch with us:
OASIS RECYCLING (DOMESTIC DROP-OFF/BUSINESS COLLECTIONS)
Recycling Manager – Beraldine Jagers
recycling@oasis.org.za
Cnr Lee Road and Imam Haron Claremont, 7708
021 671 2698

 

Oasis Association Food Parcels 2021
DONATIONOASIS

Oasis Food Parcel Appeal 2021

Dear Oasis family,

Your generosity for our food parcel campaign at the end of 2020 helped to care for, nourish, and encourage 350 of our beneficiaries’ households. We are all mindful of the challenges that millions of South Africans have experienced over the past 19 months.  Challenges that have been felt across the globe.  In trying to aid and do our part, Oasis has distributed hundreds upon hundreds of food parcels during this period to those who have found themselves unable to feed their families.  We have also provided social, emotional and health support.

Now in our 13th year of food parcels, this year we are aiming to give 400 beneficiaries with intellectual disabilities, the gift of food, nourishment, and care. One parcel costs approximately R600, and the aim, with your help, is to fill as many parcels as possible between now and Christmas closure. You don’t need to contribute an entire parcel, any amount or item is greatly appreciated.

Each parcel will hold nourishing, low-cost food, health and hygiene items, as well as a few treats.

 

Every rand, every tin of baked beans, or packet of rice donated helps us put together a food parcel. We hope that you will assist us in gifting our beneficiaries with intellectual disabilities and their families, by supporting our appeal and sharing this message with your family, friends, colleagues and neighborhood groups.

The details of how to give a tin, or packet of food, or to contribute cash towards filling parcels are below.

 

Thank you to all who can assist. I am also so aware that many who have helped in the past are not able to anymore because of the havoc wreaked by the pandemic.

You remain in our thoughts.

We all look forward to a time when things will be easier for all of us.

Kind regards Gail Bester Executive Director   |   021 671 2698

 

 

 

 

 

Food parcel list is here..

DROP OFF

For all food item donations, we have set up a collection point at the Recycling drop-off, in Claremont: Cnr Lee and Imam Haron Roads.

SNAPSCAN

CASH DONATIONS

Cash donations can be dropped off directly at our Claremont Oasis Book Store and Bric-a-Brac shop where the cashiers will ring up your donation under “food parcels”.

DIRECT DEPOSIT/EFT

Deposit directly into:

Account name: Oasis Association

Bank: First National Bank

Branch: Claremont

Acc no: 593 7179 7078

Branch code: 200 109

If you drop off cash or deposit money into our bank account, please stipulate FOOD PARCEL and give us your NAME and CONTACT DETAILS, so that we can issue you with a Section 18A tax receipt for your tax rebates.

EMAIL US Please email your deposit slip or EFT transaction download to donor@oasis.org.za

Oasis Association Upcycling (1)
REUSE

Creative succulent ideas from upcycled treasures

Succulents are unique and eye-catching plants that deserve a vessel that matches their interesting charm. Transform second hand and pre-loved finds like thermoses, tea cups, and broken typewriters into upcycled garden ideas to house succulents.

Vintage radio planter 

Once a countertop essential, a turn-dial radio makes the perfect home for a succulent garden. How to: Using a tiny screwdriver, remove the radio’s back panel. With the help of wire cutters, pull out as much of the inner workings of the radio as possible. To make room for a planting vessel—a loaf pan works well—cut a rectangle opening out of the plastic top of the radio using a stencil cutter. Slip the container inside, replace the back panel, and plant. Image credit: Jason Donnelly

Tea Cup Succulent garden

For a one-of-a-kind gift that’s as pretty as a bouquet (but less expected), pot up succulents in a sweet little vessel. Use a white cup for a modern look or an ornate one for a vintage feel. Use 2-inch succulents (or newly propagated plants) for this project such as Hylotelephium pluricaule, echeveria, Jovibarba, or string-of-pearls (Senecio rowleyanus). The plants are shallow-rooted so they will live happily in a teacup. Image credit: Ed Gholic

Meat grinder planter

This proves that even the most unexpected items can become succulent gardens! Echeveria subsessilis, its dusty blue leaves rimmed with pink, sprouts whimsically from a vintage hand-crank meat grinder clamped to a table. Image credit: Ryann Ford

Metal cart Succulent garden

Filled to the brim with bristly and sculptural plants, a rusty metal cart contains a variety of succulents. Old carts and wheelbarrows can be unique upcycled planters for outdoor succulent displays, creating levels of interest in your garden. Image credit: Ryann Ford

Metal desk Caddy planter

The cubbies and drawers of old metal filing bins hold succulents instead of office supplies. Moss and wood add texture to the Zen-style arrangement in this upcycled planter. Image credit: Ryann Ford

Typewriter garden

Celebrate a portable typewriter’s years of service by bringing it to life with succulents. How to: Using pliers, wire cutters, and a small screwdriver, remove all the typewriter’s interior mechanisms for this upcycling idea. After the cavity is clean, nestle a small planting container—such as a disposable food storage bin—inside the typewriter. Fill the bin with cactus potting mix, and plant with a variety of succulents boasting unique textures, shapes, and colors. Image credit: Jason Donnelly

Thermos succulent garden

Cylindrical and sleek, retro thermoses with metallic sheens offer a fun contrast to the various fleshy, spiky, and curvy leaves of succulents. Fill each thermos and its lid with cactus potting mix. Add plants, firming the potting mix around the root zones. Water plants when the soil is dry to the touch. Image credit: Jason Donnelly

Upcycled Sign Letter Planter

Turn a salvaged metal sign letter into a gorgeous, green monogram for your front porch by filling with succulents and mosses. You can pick up letters of all shapes, sizes and colours at thrift shops. To take this project to the next level, spell out a full word for a stunning piece of living art.

Vintage Plastic Toy Garden Accents

A tiny menagerie of plastic animals traipses through a trio of potted succulent cuttings. Colourful gravel adds a fun accent. Image credit: Ryann Ford

Original article; https://www.bhg.com/gardening/container/plans-ideas/unique-planters-succulents/

Oasis Association Oasis Village Blog posts
RECYCLINGREUSESHOPS

The Oasis with a heart of love

Used goods across the world are seen as trendy and now. The Oasis Association for Intellectual Disability has a little “village” of four shops at the corner of Lee and Imam Haron Road, Claremont. The planet benefits, as do shoppers and the Oasis Association, when people with a conscience visit our shops. The social enterprises, as well as bakery and recycling projects, provide Oasis with the means to provide developmental opportunities to more than 600 adults and children with moderate to profound disability. Opportunities include specialised daycare for children, housing through group home living, employment and occupation for adults. Eight services are stretched across the city from Claremont to Delft.

Public participation

The general public have always played a pivotal role in the work of Oasis with gifts of time, expertise, donated stock for shops and recycling materials.

“We are deeply grateful to all who play such a generous role in changing lives. The support is really humbling. Just one book donated can feed a child for a week,” says Gail Bester, Executive Director of the Oasis Association.

 

Oasis shops in Claremont

The Oasis shops stock furniture, clothing, household goods, books, games and toys, art, CDs/DVDs, electronic/electrical goods and so much more. All of these items are dropped off as donations. Among all sorts of basic household items, lovely décor items, treasures, costume jewellery, vintage clothing and original artworks can be found.

 

Recycling with Oasis

The recycling drop-off point accepts all paper, cardboard, glass jars, bottles, and aluminium beverage cans. The association appeals to recyclers to keep materials clean and separated, if possible. Oasis does not accept any plastic of any type, and also sells cardboard boxes, glass jars, shredded egg boxes for animal bedding, composting and packaging and various re-usable items.

 

Confidential document shredding

Oasis’s reputation has grown and they are fast becoming the go-to service for reliable document shredding. There is no fee, but a donation is requested which qualifies for an 18A tax exemption receipt.

 

Moving house

Inevitably, when packing up and relocating, boxes of unwanted goodies and pieces of furniture become a nuisance factor. “We will be happy to arrange collection, at no fee, for good quality donated, furniture and goods,” says Beraldine Jagers, recycling manager.

For more information on recycling, shredding or collections, email Beraldine at recycling@oasis.org.za

Reduce your spending by shopping for previously used products Oasis Association2
OASISRECYCLINGSHOPS

Reduce your spending by shopping for previously used products at Oasis

In the past we all thought we had to buy brand new products. This way we spent way too much and often our money ran out before the month did. But fast forward a few years and it is now not only acceptable, but it is trendy to shop from “secondhand shops,” or as some would have it, gently used, previously loved or vintage shops.

Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what you call it, pre-loved shopping not only saves money, but it also saves the planet, and often it benefits a wider cause or small local business. We have all seen charity shops, book exchanges, used furniture shops, entire product lines made from recycled materials and objects, and those wonderful boutiques where exquisite clothing, often once worn, is affordable. Antique shops sell used items – i.e. The items in an antique shop must be used items to qualify as antiques!

Charity shops are not focused on retail sales but rather are a means to an end which could support a cause such as people with disability.

 

Your saving money by shopping at these shops becomes mindful shopping with conscience.  Their shelves are usually packed with all sorts of quirky, interesting treasures, scattered amongst entirely everyday items. It is not unusual to see a beautiful crystal glass juxtaposed against a cheap coffee mug. These conscience shops offer a wide range of products dependent on what the donors donate. Stock changes constantly, so you never know what you will find, and you need to keep popping in. But they are guaranteed to save you money.

Several entrepreneurs have set up businesses around selling products made from recycled materials or by just selling on used goods.  At these stores, items like used wooden pallets and cardboard boxes are sold at much less than the original price.  Reuse and recycling are two of the chief pillars to managing our domestic waste.

Buy local.  Support your local charity shops and businesses selling used products.

 

 

UPCYCLING

2021 is the year of upcycling. Many people find themselves in a financial squeeze and it is time for a little out-of-the-box creative thinking.  Anyone can join the upcycling revolution.

Upcycling most often “… creates a product of higher quality or value than the original.”   It is all about a splash of creativity, taking something old, and worn, and turning it into something chic, modern, and useful.

A full-length evening dress is the new mini dress. The rusted wheelbarrow becomes a planter. The china teacup sans its saucer, is a sugar bowl. Plastic bottles are bird feeders. A surplus dining table cut down to size is a new coffee table. New upholstery, a lick of paint, and new handles can create beautiful trendy furniture.

Look around your own home or your local used product shop and get started with an upcycling project.

For a little inspiration simply Google upcycling ideas. There is a wealth of ideas online that are sure to get your creative juices flowing.

 

Stay up to date with our news and upcycling tips on our Facebook page.

Contact us 021 671 2698 or email us info@oasis.org.za

Find us at  the Corner of Lee Road and Imam Haron Road , Claremont, 7708

Trading hours: Monday – Friday 8:30am – 3pm;

Saturdays 9am – 1pm.

Recycling Oasis Association
RECYCLING

Level 3 Oasis recycling update

Oasis Recycling is open for business with level 3 restrictions in place.

Our Claremont recycling services re-opened Monday, 1 February 2021 at 9 am.

Our services are operational Monday to Friday, 8.30am – 3pm and Saturday, 8.30am – 1pm.

Here are some friendly reminders regarding recycling etiquette at Oasis:

    • Please remember to package and drop off your waste in one container.
    • Kindly pre-rinse all food containers such as cans, milk bottles etc. before delivery.
    • Kindly refrain from leaving your recycling at Oasis, should we be closed.
    • Please take careful note of items we cannot accept or recycle.

Our recycling services are still limited. Which means we are still not able to accept ALL recycling. We can only take glass, aluminium tins, all paper, cardboard, magazines and books.


We can accept:

  • All paper, including newspapers, magazines, pamphlets, junk mail, circulars, office scrap, envelopes and books. If the latter is in a good condition, please consider donating it to the bookstore.
  • Cardboard, so all boxes, toilet roll inners, cereal boxes and egg boxes, if cardboard.
  • All glass bottles and jars.
  • All cooldrink cans.

 

We cannot accept:

  • Plastic, at all, of any sort. So, no clingwrap, no florist wrap or cellophane. No margarine tubs. None of those thin plastic packets, used for bread, milk or veggies. And no plastic or cellophane food trays, at all, whether used for meat, muffins, fruit or biscuits.
  • No wax-lined boxes. Including banana boxes, milk cartons, juice cartons or yoghurt boxes.
  • Styrofoam products.
  • Foil items.
  • Tissues.
  • Disposable nappies, food scraps, PVC like JIVE cooldrink bottles, wet waste or medical waste.

 

Please pay particular attention to this list.

We do apologise for the inconvenience this may cause.

We understand these restraints are frustrating, however COVID-19 has made the recycling of the above listed items impractical for the time being and we simply do not have the manpower to render a full service.

We will keep you up-to-date, and advise the moment these restraints are removed.

 

Thank you for your understanding and ongoing support during these trying times.

 

Need to get in touch with us:

OASIS RECYCLING (DOMESTIC DROP-OFF/BUSINESS COLLECTIONS)

Recycling Manager – Beraldine Jagers
recycling@oasis.org.za

Cnr Lee Road and Imam Haron
Claremont, 7708
021 671 2698

Oasis Association images
SHOPS

2021 Oasis reopening update

2021 REOPENING – LOCKDOWN LEVEL 3 OPENING UPDATE

The New Year started with a bang and a stammer at Oasis.

We had planned to open Monday 11 January, but with the reinstatement of Level 3 COVID restrictions, and the alarming increase in the rate of transmission, we had to go back to the drawing board.

We are a family. Your safety is always our priority. Keeping our beneficiaries, our staff (700 in total) and you, our customers safe is and always will be our first consideration.

Many of our beneficiaries and staff have health vulnerabilities, and with staff travelling during the festive season, the risk of infection was simply too high.

 

News of our first COVID cases arrived with the New Year, so we delayed our opening by a further two weeks and most of us stayed home. Those who could worked from home.

A skeleton staff has now returned to duty. We have started setting up our shops. Many more are scheduled to return next week, in the hope that the worst of this second wave has weakened.

We are so excited and we are looking forward to re-uniting with you, our family – It has been too long.

 

Our Claremont shops are stocked and ready. They will open Monday 1 February at 9 am.

 

Our Claremont recycling will also re-open Monday 1 February. Yes, our services are still limited, but we are open, and for that, we are very grateful.

Please remember, when you drop off recycling, we can only take glass, aluminum tins, and all paper, cardboard, magazines and books.

Our drop-off will also be operational from Monday 1 February, gratefully receiving any donations of books and bric-a-brac, for which we thank you in advance.

Food Parcels Thank You Oasis Association
CHARITYDONATION

2020 in review

It’s been some time since we last chatted… and a lot has happened.

We have worked hard at putting this great Oasis jigsaw puzzle together, one piece at a time, and slowly we are beginning to see the makings of a picture. And yet still, some of the picture remains unseen for now – and it is possible we will find some pieces remain missing.

We find ourselves dealing with some strange anomalies. The most obvious of these is that, aside from a very small group, our Day Centre and Protective Workshop beneficiaries are still not back.

People with intellectual disability are the reason for Oasis’ existence and the fact that they are not here seems unthinkable.

 

However, we only got the official go-ahead from subsidising government departments for a staggered and phasing in return on 15 October. While most of our beneficiaries are not physically with us, we are in contact with them regularly on the phone and at their gates, with parcels to meet needs where we can.

The need for this assistance grows rapidly with each week that passes. We are now distributing over 200 food and care parcels per month. All adult beneficiaries have continued to receive their full stipend during the period of their being at home and the small increase to their disability grants from government has been a help too.

Adult beneficiaries at Oasis Houses have had a long innings of lockdown. The maintenance of their safety through isolation from the public has been rigid. The original group of 24 have since grown to almost 40 through a carefully managed quarantined return to the houses. I pay tribute to those staff, who sacrificed their own family time, to go into quarantine with residents, to offer care and encouragement.

A small group have not come home and remain in the care of their families until later. In the last few months staff and residents have been enjoying “outings” – scenic drives on our buses with picnics, where no one leaves the confines of the bus. The videos of these have been filled with laughter and delighted squeals.

One of the complex parts of our jigsaw puzzle will be the rebuilding and restructuring of routines when all workers and day care children return.

Anyone who has worked with people with intellectual disability will know that their security comes from continuity, structure, consistency and repetition. Many skills will have been lost during this period and teaching and development will be an important focus for many, many months to come.

 

The Claremont branch of the Oasis Books and Bric-a-Brac shop reopened on the 25 July. This opening was essential to our survival and it remains so to this day. Our shops have always been the heartbeat of our income to pay for all the services that we provide to hundreds and hundreds of people with intellectual disability.

The opening was made possible by the loyalty of our customers, easing of lockdown restrictions, and a team of hard-working staff who set about splitting the shop into three areas across our property. They processed a mountain of stock, while all being taught various aspects of safety.

It was lovely seeing our customers after such a long break from each other and I was particularly thrilled that so many commended us for our levels of safety. Their safety and ours is a top priority. While we were incredibly pleased to find that many customers still had cash in their wallets, their words of encouragement and friendship were ultimately the most meaningful.

We also thought it important that our shop cater to those who are vulnerable to risk, hesitant about big malls and crowded shops and who, like all of us, should mask up and socially distance. And so, our little spaza section in the shop was born. We are stocking fresh produce, direct from the market, basic grocery items and many of our baked goods. All of these interlocking pieces are beginning to fit together where “trading with a difference” becomes a reality.

On 3 August we launched our co-operative, selling shelves with homemade pickles, handmade sweets and jams and so on. Our first group of five brave traders from various sectors of work, whose work and livelihoods has been greatly impacted by COVID-19, turned over R24 000+ in their first three weeks.

Their products are not mass produced. Each is carefully handmade and homemade. When you buy their products, you help families bounce back from very tough times, with a nominal handling fee going to Oasis. The craft section of the co-op was added on 3 October with some lovely items.

Our recycling drop-off at Claremont has reopened. At this stage we are asking for GLASS, ALUMINIUM BEVERAGE CANS, BROWN CARDBOARD BOXES/CARTONS, ALL TYPES OF PAPER, BOOKS, MAGAZINES AND NEWSPAPERS.

We have also been doing confidential document shredding again. Please email recycling@oasis.org.za with enquiries. What we have previously failed to explain well is that the chief reason we cannot do recycling at full capacity is that it is labour intensive work and requires a full team of beneficiaries back at work. We will not be taking any plastics and household cardboard of any type, as well as food tins at this time or for the foreseeable future.

As a pre-school child I would stand on “tippy toes” and hook my elbows onto the table edge and watch the adult members of our extended family doing a jigsaw puzzle together. It was always the same – the side pieces first. It strikes me that the side pieces of the current Oasis jigsaw puzzle are a staff team who stand shoulder to shoulder even though their knees buckle at times as they hold the puzzle picture firmly framed. We are still not out of the woods. We have named ourselves “The Rescue Team” because we are doing all we can to rescue our organisation for the beneficiaries to whom it rightfully belongs.

Numerous pieces have been contributed to our puzzle and for these pieces we are truly grateful.

I wish to thank you for –

  • A remarkable response to our Christmas food parcel appeal with over 193 people and businesses ensuring that 350 parcels can assist to sustain beneficiaries’ families over the festive season, not only with nourishing food but care.
  • Words of encouragement, kindness and patience from so many individuals, most especially our shop customers. You have lifted our spirits no end, especially at times when we have felt deep despair.
  • The incredible generosity of our friends, supporters and donors who have kept our shops stocked, given us sanitisers and PPE, given cash and in-kind donations. You have helped sustain livelihoods!
  • Shopping at our shops. We trade with a difference and you shop with conscience. We appreciate you so much.

We see you all as part of our Rescue Team and we thank you sincerely. You remind us that “Hearts that beat to the tune of kindness can change the rhythm of the world.” (C J Peterson)

May the festive season be blessed with love, kindness and good health for you and your families. Please join in the kindness of keeping each other safe through responsible COVID-19 protocols.

May we all stand shoulder to shoulder even when our knees buckle. Your love and kindness may be the one missing piece in our puzzle in 2021.

 

Warm regards

Gail Bester
Executive Director | 021 671 2698 | www.oasis.org.za